Michigan
20-9, 8-9Big Ten
Purdue
17-12, 10-8Big Ten
Michigan Falls to Purdue in Battle for Third Place
11/16/2007 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Boxscore
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- In a battle that decided third place in the Big Ten standings, the University of Michigan volleyball team suffered a 3-1 defeat to Purdue (30-25, 21-30, 31-29, 30-28) on the Boilermakers' Senior Night Friday (Nov. 16) in the Intercollegiate Athletic Facility.
With a 10-8 Big Ten record, Purdue took sole possession of third place in the conference standings, while the 8-9 Wolverines remain in fourth place, pending the outcome of the Minnesota and Michigan State match in progress.
Senior Katie Bruzdzinski's (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North) seventh match with 20 or more kills was not enough to push U-M over the edge, as the Michigan captain tallied 22 terminations in her final match at the IAF. Senior Lyndsay Miller(Ida, Mich./Ida) was hot up the middle and on her slides with 18 kills and a match-high .361 hitting percentage, while her three blocks gave her an even 450 for her career. Senior Stesha Selsky(Manhattan Beach, Calif./Marymount) tied for the eighth-most single-match digs in program history with 31, tallying nine in game one and 10 in game two. Junior Beth Karpiak(La Grange, Ill./Lyons Township) led the way with six blocks and added 10 kills, but Karpiak's seven attack errors held the Big Ten's sixth most efficient hitter to just .115 attacking.
Purdue had all the emotion in game one, busting out to an early 7-3 lead and then surviving a mid-frame Wolverine onslaught to win, 30-25. Purdue forced 11 Michigan errors in the period, holding U-M to a .080 attack percentage. Miller and Bruzdzinski were able to solve the Boilermaker riddle, combining for 11 kills on 26 swings with just two errors. Bruzdzinski managed five kills on 14 errorless swings, while Miller tallied six kills on 12 swings with two boo boos. Selsky was spectacular on defense with nine digs.
Michigan bounced back in the first third of game two, coming from behind to tie the score at 11-11 before running away with the period in an eventual 30-21 victory. The key moment came with the tally at 11-11 when Karpiak put U-M ahead with a big kill up the middle, followed by two heady kills from Bower and another termination from Karpiak to put the Wolverines up, 15-11, and force the Boilermakers into a timeout. Karpiak finished with five kills -- as did Bruzdzinski -- while Miller had six on nine swings, and sophomore Megan Bower (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral) added four. Selsky was even more dominant on defense, registering 10 kills in the period.
Michigan trailed for most of game three and missed a golden opportunity with game point at 29-28, but a 3-0 Boilermaker run sunk the ship and put the visitors up, 2-1. Michigan had a 10-9 lead early but Purdue fought back and remained ahead until the waning moments of the period. Michigan knotted it at 28-28 and then took a 29-28 lead with the game in the balance. Purdue managed to survive game point and then put down back-to-back points to take the frame, 31-29. Bruzdzinski was on fire on the outside with seven kills in the game, adding six digs, while Karpiak added three blocks.
Game four followed much of the same script as game three, with Michigan trailing for most of the period and missing a golden opportunity down the stretch to force five. U-M came back from three down late to come within a point of knotting it up, down 28-27, but Purdue scratched together two of the final three points to sweep the season series.
With three matches left in the season, Michigan takes on Indiana on Saturday (Nov. 17) in University Gym in Bloomington, Ind. The match begins at 7 p.m.
N O T E S
Michigan faced Purdue on the Boilermakers' Senior Night, and U-M will face Indiana on the Hoosiers' Senior Night Saturday (Nov. 17). Michigan swept Iowa, 3-0, on its Senior Night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in 2006.
Senior Lyndsay Miller recorded the 450th block of her collegiate career Friday -- one of three rejections she netted against Purdue. She currently occupies second place on U-M's all-time blocks list, chasing down Katrina Lehman (1999-2002) for the record.
Senior Stesha Selsky tied for the eighth-most single match digs in U-M history with 31 against Purdue.
Senior Katie Bruzdzinski has had 20 or more kills in seven of her last nine matches.
Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423
